Rescue aid



M. E. MCKERN Oct. 7, 1969 RESCUE AID 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 25. 1966 TK, W.

IWW

M. E. McKERN Oct. 7, 1969 RESCUE AID 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed April 25. 1966 United States Patent O 3,471,854 RESCUE AID Merrill E. McKern, 1433 E. 23rd Ave., Eugene, Oreg. 97403 Filed Apr. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 544,736 Int. Cl. G08b 5/36 lU.S. Cl. 340-366 4 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A personal rescue aid is disclosed for carrying on the person in a convenient manner and particularly adapted for use by military personnel and Sportsmen. An inatable bag carries a valve body in its neck portion the valve body serving dually to puncture the neck of a gas cylinder and to seal a charge of buoyant gas within the balloon. Illuminable signaling means are mounted in the valve body and carried aloft by the balloon and are in circuit with a battery and keying means mounted in a reel for the conductor wires which wires also serve to tether the balloon.

This invention relates to rescue aids and more particularly to an inilatable balloon type rescue aid carryable on the person.

An important object of this invention is the provision of such an aid including means for electing additional visual signals in the form of a coded or flashing light to facilitate rescue either under day or night conditions. Present rescue aids of this type that I am aware of do not provide illuminable detection means.

A further important object of the present invention is the provision of a uniquely packaged rescue aid .permitting the same to be conveniently carried on the person of, for instance, an outdoorsman or serviceman. In this regard, the aid is specifically suited for use in emergency situations where injury has occurred in view of the fact that its components are pre-assembled for immediate use. Upon opening of the rescue aid container only a single additional step need be accomplished to operatively dispose the balloon.

These and other objects will become subsequently apparent upon a reading and understanding of the following specification and drawings in which:

FIG. l is an elevational view of the rescue air operatively disposed.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the rescue aid in packaged form with the lid removed.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional, elevational view taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional, elevational view of the valve body on an enlarged scale disposed within the neck of the balloon.

FIGURE 5 is a plan View of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a schematic wiring diagram of the present invention.

With continuing regard to the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts and particularly FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 thereof the numeral 1 indicates generally a container of rectangular shape of a size iitting conveniently within a pocket of outdoor type clothing and comprising a box and a lid therefor indicated respectively at 2 and 3 securely joined by a band of industrial type tape 4.

The box 2 serves as a housing for a filler 5 of lightweight, shock absorbent material such as styrofoam secured therein which serves to retain in place the packaged components as hereinafter described.

The upper end of iiller 5 as viewed in FIGURE 2 is recessed to receive the neck 6 of balloon 7 and the valve body 8 carried therein. The balloon body is folded "ice and packed within spaces 9 and 10 and along the upper wall 2A of box 2 to provide protective shock insulation for an illuminable member 11 carried by the valve body.

Within a transverse recess 14 in filler 5 is carried a pressurized cylinder 15 illed with a buoyant gas such as, for instance, helium. 'Ihe cylinder terminates at one end in elongated neck 16 insertable as later described, within the valve body 8. Rotatably housed within circular opening 18 in the lower portion of filler 5 is a reel body 19 removably held in place by a plurality of keepers 20.

Reel body 19, in addition to containing several winds of two conductor, insulated wire indicated at 21 serves as a holder for a battery B within space 23 and a transformer 22, the latter being carried internally in a more or less 4permanent manner. The terminals 24 and 25 of the battery are of the type including a resilient socket and a post which, upon end-for-end relocation of the battery incident to utilization of the aid, permits engage ment with like means indicated at 26-27 carried by the reel.

Also recessed within reel body 19 is a telegraphic key 30 including an outwardly biased metallic arm 31 which may be depressed into contact with a terminal 32 to intermittently close a circuit more fully hereinafter described. For purposes of rotating reel body 19 upon activation of the rescue aid, a ingergrip in the form of a post 33 is insertable within a recess 34 from its stowed position in corresponding inset areas 35 and 36 in the ller and reel respectively shown in FIGURE 2 wherein it functions to secure the reel body against rotation while the aid is in packaged form. The wire conductor 21 runs from reel 19 upwardly through a channel 37 formed in iiller 5 subjacent the recess 14 and by so doing, isolating wire 21 from contact and hence abrasive wear against cylinder 15.

With particular regard to valve body 8 within the balloon neck 6, as best shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawings, the lower end thereof is axially bored as at 40 adjacent the upper terminus of which is provided a pair of resilient seals 41 of annular shape. The bore 40 is in communication with a rst chamber 42 which, in turn, is by means of ports 43, in communication with a second chamber 44. An exhaust port 45 is provided in the upper portion of the valve body 8 for directing a flow of gas into balloon 7. Positionable within the body 8 is a valve core indicated generally at 46 comprising a cylindrical stem 47 and a concentrically disposed disc 48, the latter ported as at 48A. A .piercing element 47A is integral with the stem 47. A valve spring 50 normally seats the disc 48 and the adjacent peripheral portion of the stem 47 in sealing contact against the seals 41. That portion of the valve body intermediate chambers 42 and 44 is apertured at 8A to provide a guide for rectilinear movement of the valve core 46.

Secured within a receptacle 55 formed in the upper end of valve body v8 is one end 56 of the illuminable member 11 protected and insulated by a resilient sleeve 57. Member 11 comprises a length of curvilinear formed glass tubing of shatter-resistant glass tubing containing a quantity of sealed neon or other suitable gas. Electrodes (not shown) are conventionally provided in an igniter assembly 58 in the end portion 56 of the member 11. A pair of insulated leads are indicated at 59 each in circuit with one conductor of the two conductor wire 21. A grommet is provided at 60.

Illumination of the gas within member 11 is through a circuit schematically shown in FIGURE 6 including the battery B, key 30, conductors 61 and 62 constituting a circuit for intermittently energizing a primary winding 63 within the transformer 22. A secondary winding at 64 is in circuit by the two conductor wire 21 `with elecin combination:

trodes within the igniter 58 to provide the requisite voltage.

The operation of the present invention for the most part is believed obvious from the foregoing specification. Necessary to activation of the rescue aid is the removal 5 from the container of both the balloon 7 along with the pressurized cylinder 15. The bore 40 within valve body `8 by reason of its substantial length provides a sturdy guideway for the reception of neck 16 of cylinder 15 in a sealing lit. Immediately prior to fracturing the clos- -ure plate (not shown) within neck 16, the latter is in the broken line position of FIGURE 4 whereupon slightly further inward movement of neck 16 causes piercing element 47 to fracture the plate releasing the buoyant gas into balloon 7 through chambers 42 and 44 and ports 43 and 45. Withdrawal of the neck 16 after ination of the balloon permits the lower end of stem 47 to seat in sealing relationship within bore 40. The balloon is released to the desired height by rotation of reel 19 paying out line 21. Intermittent keying means provided enables either coded signals or merely a series of attracting flashes as desired.

Iclaim:

1. A rescue aid carried on the person and comprising a container for the following components,

a reel body rotatably and removably mounted in said container carrying lengths of conductor wires, a battery and keying means in circuit with said conductor wires, said battery and keying means being mounted on said reel,

an inatable bag having a neck portion,

a valve body disposed in said neck portion and including means for piercing a pressurized gas cylinder and for admitting and sealing a charge of atmospherically buoyant gas within said bag,

Y illuminable means associated with said valve body in circuit with said battery and keying means through said conductor wires, and

4 a pressurized gas cylinder having an elongated neck portion manually insertable in a sealed manner into said valve body for puncturing of said neck portion whereupon said bag is inilated to a buoyant state to carry aloft the illuminable means for signaling purposes.

2. The rescue aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reel body additionally includes a transformer and said illuminable means includes a tubular glass member lled with an illuminable gas.

3. The rescue aid as claimed in claim 2 wherein said tubular glass memberis of curvilinear shape and extends upwardly from said valve body into the interior of said bag.

4. The rescue aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means within said valve body comprises a rectilinear movable stem having a cylinder piercing element at one end and a ported disc fixed along said stem, spring means biasing said stem and ported disc downfardly into sealing contact with the valve body, said stem and disc being movable upwardly upon insertion of said neck of the pressurized container whereupon puncturing of the container will occur to discharge the gas through the valve body and into the bag.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,383,390 8/1945 Jacobs 40-214 2,825,803 3/ 1958 Newbrough.

FOREIGN PATENTS 445,765 2/ 1949 Italy.

JOHN W. CALDWELL, Primary Examiner C. M. MARMELSTEIN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. S25-111 

